Simplified vs Traditional Chinese Characters
Chinese characters are written in two forms: simplified and traditional. Many characters are identical in both. Others look quite different.
Where each is used
Simplified characters were introduced in mainland China in the 1950s and 1960s. They are used in mainland China, Singapore and Malaysia. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.
Examples
| Simplified | Pinyin | English | Traditional |
|---|---|---|---|
| 马 | mǎ | Horse | 馬 |
| 门 | mén | Door | 門 |
| 书 | shū | Book | 書 |
| 说 | shuō | To speak | 說 |
| 学 | xué | To study | 學 |
| 爱 | ài | Love | 愛 |
| 龙 | lóng | Dragon | 龍 |
马
mǎ
Horse
馬
门
mén
Door
門
书
shū
Book
書
说
shuō
To speak
說
学
xué
To study
學
爱
ài
Love
愛
龙
lóng
Dragon
龍
Many common characters are the same in both forms, for example 人 (rén, person), 大 (dà, big), 山 (shān, mountain) and 中 (zhōng, middle).
Which should you learn?
Most learners start with simplified characters, because they are used by the largest number of readers and in most learning materials. If you plan to live in Taiwan or Hong Kong, traditional characters are worth learning later. The pronunciation of Mandarin is the same whichever form you read.
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